Ellicott renovation work to get under way
Informational meeting scheduled for Feb. 21 for members of the Ellicott community

By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor

An informational meeting has been scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 21 in Red Jacket Dining Hall in the Ellicott Complex to answer questions from members of the Ellicott community about the upcoming $5 million renovation of the Faculty Student Association's retail and food-service operation in the residential complex.

	A food court will be one of the amenities planned for the renovated Student Club space in the Ellicott Complex.

The renovation would convert the Student Club area of the complex into a "village square" for residents, as well as faculty and staff members with offices in the building. Among the amenities planned are a food court, a Starbucks-style coffee house, an expanded Elli convenience story, a relocated Hubie's pizza shop, a new bus waiting area and entrance, and a two-story, glass atrium area on Marshall Court overlooking Lake LaSalle.

The project is expected to get under way next week with some minor asbestos abatement work in the former Oasis and Creative Craft Center, said Mitch Green, executive director of FSA. Once the asbestos abatement is completed, demolition work will begin in those areas, he said.

The abatement process will continue during spring break—March 25-30—in the hallways leading to the Student Club, which will be closed off to all traffic. While full access to the hallways will resume on April 1, they will be closed again on May 13 when remodeling work begins, and will remain closed until the project is completed in January 2003, he said.

Green noted that groundbreaking on the Marshall Court work is expected to take place on or about April 1, with excavation of the foundation for the new dining area set to begin before the end of the semester.

Work on the Ellicott tunnel bus stop is scheduled to begin in May. As of May 13, the bus stop will be relocated temporarily to the Fillmore entrance in the tunnel, with a second stop being added at the Wilkeson entrance in the fall. Work is expected to be completed and the bus stop reopened early in October.

Green said that beginning May 3, Student Club services will be relocated to the current Hubie's location in Fargo until the project is completed. Hours of operation and menu selection will mirror those currently offered by the Student Club and Hubie's.

Beginning in the fall, a cart offering pre-made sandwiches, snacks and beverages will be located in Wilkeson Hall to help alleviate some potential congestion in Hubie's, he said.

The Elli, the complex's convenience store, will close on May 9.

Snacks and a limited number of personal items will be available at Hubie's during the summer. On Aug. 22, the Elli will reopen for a short time in a temporary location, which has yet to be determined. The store will move to its permanent location about the same time that the bus stop is reopened.

There will be postings around the Ellicott complex throughout the construction period updating members of the community on the progress of the project, Green said. Information also will be available on the campus dining and shops Web site at www.myubcard.com.

He pointed out that FSA's goals during the construction process are "to keep the project on schedule, while minimizing the inconvenience to the students, faculty and staff who live and work in the Ellicott complex."

The renovation project is an attempt to "respond to what students are asking for," as well as address an evaluation of FSA's dining services conducted in 1998 by a research group affiliated with Marriott International Inc., he said. The evaluation indicated a need to change the campus food-service delivery system and upgrade dining facilities.

The project was designed by the Rochester firm of Pospula Associates. Work will be financed by bonds sold through the Amherst Industrial Development Agency.

The Student Club renovation is the latest in a series of dining-services projects that have resulted in the rehabilitation of dining facilities in Goodyear, Governors, Richmond and Red Jacket since 1998.